fun times at home...

The girls have been enjoying their MANY gifts (thanks to everyone by the way!) from the holidays... and here are a few pics of them having fun.....

the girls got personalized bean bag chairs from our realtor... and they LOVE them... and yes, Angela is a ham...

and Elyse is all about comfort... especially with blankie!!!and the girls playing on the sit and spin, the zebra... having too much fun to desribe...

Yes, it's a few days early... but....

HAPPY NEW YEARS from Angela and Elyse!!!

We made the mistake of buying "the horns" and letting them see them... and the poor people near us at the mall knew where we were at all times. Angela figured out how to make noise RIGHT AWAY... it took Elyse a minute or two... and then we had to "mad trumpeters" all through the mall. We will be spending new years in NYC (sands kids... they'll be staying with mom-mom and pop-pop... thanks mom and dad!). I think this is our 5th or 6th year of doing the Midnight Run in Central Park. It starts at the stroke of midnight, you run through central park, amidst all of the fireworks... a GREAT way to start out 2009!!!

Hope your whole 2009 is DEVINE!!!

The Rolling Reedells!!!

So, finally we found some time to get ourselves to our local roller skating rink. I've been sooo excited to put both of the girls on skates for a LONG time... and we did yesterday (December 27th). We went to "the Palace Roller Skating Center" for the 10 years and under skating session. It was GREAT!! Both girls were VERY excited to get their skates on, and off they went. Angela needed little assistance and began to skate like a champ. Elyse also did VERY well. Her skates were laced up and away she went. Elyse got MANY comments from parents holding up their MUCH larger children about how well she was doing... and I must say, I was VERY proud of both of my girls!! Maybe there is roller skating in their futures?? Ha-ha... I guess only time will tell!!!!

A Christmas to Remember!!!

Wow... can you believe that christmas is all over with? Whew... it really flew by... but we ALL had a great few days!!! Our "family time" actually started early since we had some ice on wednesday so Scott stayed home from work.... yeah for 5 day weekends!!! We did go to our candlelight church service on christmas eve, and the girls did GREAT. They were dressed in christmas dresses with their formal black jackets.. too cute for words!! Then we came home and put out the "magical reindeer food", milk and cookies for Santa, then it was off to bed. Angela was sooo excited for the morning to come, but Elyse still had no clue.

So, the next morning, the girls were up and they tore into their stockings and presents with MANY smiles! It was sooo much fun to see the excitement on their faces. I can only imagine what next year will bring! Here are some pics from christmas morning at our house!

Then it was off for an early nap, since we still had to go to the "big family get together" at Aunt Carla's House. That party started around 3pm... and Angela and Elyse loved seeing all of their family members. And of course getting even MORE presents. It was just soooo cute how happy they were!!And a nice present to us was that my cousin Katie asked for Angela to stay over night at mom-mom and pop-pop's house (they were staying over while they were visiting), and of course everyone said yes, so we were down to one kiddo!! We came home, enjoyed a late dinner, just the three of us, and then it was off to bed for Miss Elyse.

Then it was friday, also known as Boxing Day. Since my mom had to work on christmas day (we did see her for a bit) we had planned a small get together for my parents, Scott's parents, and my sister at our house. So, besides seeing grandparents and aunt Erin, they were even more excited to see MORE presents. And we are still crossing our fingers that Dad Reedell continues on his recovery from his most recent surgery. We are hoping that 2009 brings only GOOD THINGS to him! Oh, and here are some pics....

Whew... that was ALOT in a few days... but it was LOTS of fun!!! Thanks to everyone for all of the new toys, clothes, etc, for the girls... we are VERY lucky to have such wonderful families!!! Hope your Holidays continue to be fabulous into 2009!!!!

Angela's Christmas Show at School...

Angela has worked VERY hard on learning MANY new songs for the christmas show... and she did VERY well!! On monday, everyone got to show off their singing talents... some more than others, but it was sooo cute. All of the kiddos were in their little santa hats with bells on them, then we had a VERY nice lunch at the school. Now they are off until the new year... so great job to all the teachers and kiddos at Cornwells Christian Day School!!!

ah the smell of a fresh cut christmas tree!!

As soon as we bought this house Scott says "I really want a real christmas tree"... so on saturday night we loaded the girls up and bought our first real christmas tree. It was a nice having the immediate smell of fresh pine in the house. We put it up in our sunroom and put some lights on it. We wanted to keep it simple with just white lights and a few red bows... it looks very nice, especially at night when it's all dark in there, we can see it from our family room and kitchen... just feels like the holidays!!! And of course the cats LOVE having another source of "fresh water" in the tree stand... so they want it to stay... silly kitties....

we welcome you Miss Callie....

wow... it's hard to beleive that last time we saw Shauna she was still pregnant... because now she looks GREAT... with that "new mommy glow" about her!! Miss Callie is around 5 weeks old and just BEYOND cute. Angela and Elyse loved looking at her, touching her hair, and both even held her. They were gentle... ok, more Angela than Elyse, but they both did well. We enjoyed our visit and look forward to seeing Miss Callie grow up with us in her life!!!! Thanks for coming over Shauna and Callie!!!

The Reedell remodeling company...

So, when we moved into the house, we knew we REALLY wanted to remodel the downstairs powder room... and we had the PERFECT opportunity to do so. I was cleaning the floor in the bathroom and came upon a small puddle... here the pipe under the sink (the drain) was leaking a little bit... so I called Scott and said "up for some plumbing work this weekend"... So, off we went to Lowes for some "stuff"... and came home with a new vanity, sink, hardware, light fixture, mirror frame... and various other things we "needed" while we were there. So, saturday we spent the day doing work on the bathroom... and we are BOTH VERY pleased with how it turned out.

Next thing on our list is paining the girls rooms, hallways, and hopefully the bathroom if we have time... since the girls will be spending the weekend at mom mom and pop pop's house... yeah!!!

Whew... christmas has already started for the Reedells...

With only another 9 days till the "real christmas day" the Reedells are already done one celebration. This past sunday, we got together at Scott's aunt Joanne's house with the family to celebrate the holiday. This was mostly because Scott's brother (Keith) and his family came up from Florida, so we could all spend some family time together. Everyone had a great time together, and the kiddos LOVED all of their new toys.

And we were VERY lucky this time and had the opportunity to spend even MORE time with Keith, Jen, and our nephews (Aidan and Evan) because they stayed overnight at our new house. It was wonderful to get to know those two little guys... and I know we can't wait to see them again too!! The cutest part was the Elyse and Evan were buds almost immediately. They spent ALOT of time playing, swinging and just babbling between themselves... just tooo cute!!! Scott's dad went into the hospital on monday morning for stomach surgery (keep him in your thoughts if you could for a speedy recovery....), so Scott and Keith went up to the hospital to meet up with their mom, and so Jen, the kiddos (all four of them....) and I had the day to ourselves. They all got along as well as could be expected, we took a nice trip to a park because of the 60 degree temps, and then all four even took naps at the same time... it was peaceful at least for a few minutes.

Then after dinner they all packed up and headed south... and should be home later today!!! So, it was a GREAT visit, and we can't wait to see them again!!! I know Angela is already asking, "when are Aidan and Evan going to sleep over again"... and Elyse babbles "evan"... quite frequently...

And as expected, here are some pics.... ok, a bunch.... enjoy!!!

Santa's little "helpers"...

just a few funny pics of the girls...

We are ALL decorated....

Boy, the weather has been crazy in PA... it was a high of around 30 on sunday and yesterday at 6pm, it was around 65 degrees... so we put all our christmas decorations (with the help of my dad... THANKS much!!!!) on the outside of the house... so now you DEFINATELY see our house as you are driving down our road. I love the way it turned out... it just feels sooo festive... hope you enjoy it too!!!

Our little Christmas Hams...

We actually had these taken last week, but I'm finally getting to post them now. I packed up the girls and we headed to Kiddie Kandids for their annual christmas pics. I would LOVE to say that all went well, but it was a TOUGH day. Elyse was NOT feeling well... she's getting either 5 or 6 teeth at once, so she was CRANKY and didn't like the photographer at all. Angela was willing to do what they told her, but she didn't want to smile... and if she did it was a CHEEZY smile. After about 45 mintues of trying, I gave up and we went to walk around the mall. I wasn't sure if we were coming back I was sooo frustrated. So, we met up with a few of the girls friends and went to see santa (which Elyse had NO desire to even look at and screamed when she looked at him...), but at least Angela sat on his lap. She told him all about her day and what she wanted for christmas, and then we went and had lunch. Then they seemed to be in a better mood... so we tried again... and this time we had a better photographer (that was willing to REALLY interact with the girls) and they smiled with NO problems... and the pictures came out really well!!! So, happy holidays from the Reedell gals!!!!

We love the snow!!!!!

So, it started snowing on saturday evening and when we woke up on sunday morning we had about an inch or so, and BOTH girls were chomping at the bit to go outside and play in the snow. So, after breakfast we bundled them up and off we went. This was our first real experience with snow at our new house... and it was GREAT!!! The backyard has enough of a slope that even with minimal snow, the sledding was perfect. Both girls LOVED being pushed down the hill... smiles were constant... until it was time to go inside... But I"m sure there will be more snow (or at least we are hoping so...) and more days of fun in the "winter wonderland" in our new backyard!!! Here are some pics of the kiddos... and their fun!!!

it's beginning to feel like christmas....

Scott and I were BEYOND excited to decorate for our first christmas in our new house!!! I always LOVE decorating, but it was soooo much better this year. Angela was VERY excited about decorating the tree... and ended up putting up more than half of the ornaments. Both Angela and Elyse did such a GREAT job helping that we got each their own little tree for their rooms... then they could decorate and re-decorate as much as they would like... and it's worked great. They look at the big tree all the time, but really don't bother it much... and hope it stays that way!!! We are planning on doing the "big outside decorations" later this week... so keep an eye out for those pics... it shall be fun!!! But here are some of our decrations... hope you enjoy.....

Great to see Aunt Deb, Uncle Daryl, and Katie...

We were VERY happy to have my aunt, uncle, and cousin stop over for a while on friday. They were in from State College and wanted to check out the "new place". They even brought their new doggie "lily" and she had a BLAST running like nothing I've ever seen before in our backyard!!! Angela and Katie really enjoyed each other, playing games and doing puzzles... and Elyse, she enjoyed chasing the bigger kiddos and the dog. A GREAT time was had by all....

yup... christmas decorations already!!!

So, as soon as we were cleaned up from the big thanksgiving dinner, we ended up dragging out all of our christmas decorations... and everyone helped to decorate the tree. Angela did maybe 60% of it ALL by herself, and did a GREAT job, especially for a 3.5 year old. Elyse got into it a little bit, but we were just happy that she didn't undecorate it when we turned around. I still have to take pictures of the whole house "looking festive", but that will be in another post... and we still have to do the outside... but at least it looks like christmas everytime you enter the house... LOVE it!!!!

Happy Turkeyday All!!!

We hope you all had a GREAT holiday with family and friends. We had a wonderful one. We "broke in" our new dining room with the Reedells. Scott's parents and aunt came over to celebrate the day... and everyone had a GREAT time. Angela made ALL of the placecards (with a little help from mommy...) and then also made "turkey cupcakes"... and was VERY proud of herself!!! Elyse was happy to help eat the candy corn (an accessory for the cupcakes...) and to lend a hand at eating anything that was dropped... They had a GREAT time with the family.... Hope you did too....

and a crazy weekend with mom-mom and pop-pop...

We headed over to mom-mom and pop-pop's house on friday afternoon for an overnight trip!!! We stayed over since we had a wedding to go to on saturday, and plus we got to spend more time with mom-mom and pop-pop... and we cant' forget aunt Erin either!!! Aunt Erin braided Elyse's hair and the girls had a blast on their sit and spins.... Everyone had a great time.

We even visited the girls Great Grandparents... and everyone was ALL smiles!!!!

Then we went to the wedding where the girls were DANCING machines. I'm not sure they have a name for what Angela was doing... but it was REALLY cute!!! Angela even got pop-pop to get up and dance with here... which might have been the FIRST time since he danced the "father daughter dance" at Megan's wedding... so cudos to you kiddo!!! And Elyse LOVED the lollipop's they had on the tables... and ate maybe 3 or 4 of them over the course of the evening... but not even the sugar kept them awake... and everyone had a GREAT night sleep!!! So, here are the pics... hope you enjoy....

we LOVE our basement...

The girls are REALLY enjoying the versitlity the basement has as the weather is getting "less favorable" for outdoor playing. Today, we put Angela on her roller blades and she was off... and following after her was Miss Elyse on her tricycle... they were just having a ball!!! Angela is getting REALLY good on her rollerblades... and Elyse... she had NO desire to put her skates on... that made me a little sad... but hopefully she'll want to when she gets a bit older!!!!

Many little turkeys all on ONE stage!!!

So, Angela dressed like a turkey for her school program and thanksgiving feast. The whole class walked out with headresses on (some were turkeys, some with pilgrim hats, and some with just feathers on their headband), sang a turkey song.... then had a YUMMY feast prepared by their teachers and some of the parents (great job by the way...). Elyse had a BLAST running around the room like a crazy child... and playing with the "other little siblings" too...

We hope you and your families have a GREAT thanksgiving holiday... from the Reedell Turkeys (Angela and Elyse of course!!!)

new duds....

this week was a fun week... mostly because we were VERY busy doing things with family and friends, since Scott had to be away in France all week!!! But one of the days we went shopping with Grandmom Reedell... and we had a blast!!! Here are a few pics of the girls enjoying their new duds!!!! Thanks for a great week everyone!!!

enjoying the breakfast bar...

when we bought the new house I know that the HUGE amount of counter space was GREAT... but now that we got chairs for the breakfast bar area, the girls have REALLY enjoyed eating there... and are eating EVEN better!!! Oh yeah, and there is also a pic of Jake really feeling "at home" sleeping on his back on Scott's recliner....

ah, the crackling fire...

So, we have FINALLY have used our wood burning fireplace... and it was VERY nice!! We enjoyed a small fire last weekend and hope to do it MUCH more often... and by the way we LOVE our new house (if you couldn't tell that already!!)

Our little snowbunny...

The girls LOVE to get dressed up for "winter" no matter the weather... so here's Elyse in her earmuffs... too cute for words (of course I am biased).....

it's winter here in PA....

So, we woke up this morning and it's snowing... I knew the forcasters were calling for "snow showers"... but it's been snowing steadily since the time I got up this morning... So, maybe we are in for a SNOWY winter... and I can't wait!!! I want to break out the sled and head down the hills here... yeah for winter!!!

Here is a pic from a little bit ago....

We'll see how long it snows for... but it does give the backyard a touch of winter feel!!!!

Our Little Hams...

Imagine this... it is 9:05am... Angela and Elyse are ready to get into the car to take Angela to preschool... and Angela says "mommy, can you take some pictures of Elyse and me?" And who am I EVER to say, "no, I can't take some pictures"... so I whipped out my camera of my two little munchkins... and they were just tooo cute!! Hope you enjoy the "newest" pics of the girls....

a party for seven....

Yes, I might have been crazy to have 7 kiddos, ranging in age from 8 to 18 months old over for playtime and lunch... but it was great fun. Everyone enjoyed playing in all areas of the house and then enjoyed a lunch in the sunroom. They each had a little chair to sit at the glass coffee table (it was before we got our furniture....), and everyone was just soooo "civilized"... And now we can't wait for our "next get together"....

Yeah for new furniture...

So, the only room that has no "real furnishings" in it was the sunroom. It was FULL of toys... and this weekend we went out and picked out a really nice sectional and really cool completely round "swivel" chair. We also picked out a new kitchen set, as our old one looked "too small" in our new nook area... and we love it already. The girls have enjoyed the new stuff, especially the spinning chair and the cats approve.... they laid on the new sectional EVERY since it was brought in... So, here are some pics of our "new stuff"....

Let us present.. the Reedell Casa!!!

Here are some pics I just took today... keep in mind we've only been here for 5 days... so there are still some boxes to unpack and decorations to put up, but for the most part, I think we are doing "pretty well"....

Our neighborhood is wonderful, the house is layed out perfectly for us, the kids LOVE the sunroom, deck, and basement... and of course their rooms... it's just a GREAT next step for the Reedells!!!!

And we want to thank our friends and family for all of their support that helped us to get to this point... we love you all!!!

Hello from The Reedells NEW HOME!!!!

So, it's been a CRAZY week in the Reedell household. This is how it went... I packed up the computer on monday, and then was a "mad packer" until we moved (on thursday, october 30th!). To our surprise on tuesday we had a measureable snowfall... which NONE of the forcasters actually were calling for. I was nervous since we were to get our truck to start loading up, and the girls were to be going to my parents that night. But luckily EVERYTHING worked out and and "the fun began".Here are some pics of the snow... (and of the kiddos enjoying their "last lunch at home"...)

We ended up having around 2"... but it was VERY strange for it to happen on October 28th... we'll have to wait and see what this winter will bring us.... hopefuly a bunch of snow!!!! Get those sleds ready!!! Yeah!!

Then tuesday afternoon, pop-pop came to pick up the kiddos, then we went to go pick up our first truck... which was a 26' moving truck... it was HUGE. We weren't sure we'd be able to fill it up, but with the help from several friends (we can't thank them enough either!!!), it was filled and we went to pick up truck 2 on wednesady evening. That was only a 17' truck... and it too was filled before the evening was over.

Of course we did watch the Phillies win the world series... and then "enjoyed" all the yelling, honking, and fireworks in our area... Philadelphia REALLY needed a winning team... YEAH Phillies!!!!

Then came a sleepless night, not sure if I was excited or just nervous... but I think I slept maybe 2-3 hours... and couldn't wait to get the "show on the road".

It was then thursday, and our settlement day. The trucks were packed, locked, and ready to go. I went in 6416 Todd Court for one last look... and of course take some pics.... I did get teary eyed on the way out. This was the house that we started our family in and all the girls knew... and we were VERY much hoping that they'd like the new house just as much!!!!

Our cars were filled up, and we headed to the Turner's house to drop off the "furry gentlemen" and "bob" (my 12.5 year old hermit crab...) until we got into the new house. We then went to Newtown for our settlement, and it went "pretty well". The buyers were VERY picky about everything and we found out later that they were JUST about to back out of the deal a few weeks prior to settlement... but it all worked out... So, by 11am, we were officially "homeless".

We went back to the "old house" and drove the two big trucks over to the new house. We did our walkthrough and then became "very excited"... we were on the "home stretch" to getting the house of our dreams. We then wen to lunch with our realtor, then it was settlement time. We walked out of the office at 3:30pm, with keys in hand and headed to the house. We were ALL smiles. The last owners left the house in GREAT shape... it was now time to move in!!!! We had a bunch of friends and family come over and helped us lug all of our "stuff" in the house. I think we officially started at 4pm and by 8pm, it was all in and we were starting the HUGE task of unpacking!!! I was beat but sooo excited to finally get into the new house. I never slept soooo GREAT as I did that first night!!!

The next day (friday the 31st) was just more of the same... unpacking and trying to get things together for the girls to come home. Mom-mom and Pop-pop got to the "new house" around 4:30 or 5pm and got the tour of the house. The girls were a little confused at first, but before too long they were running around like maniacs enjoying their new "digs".

The girls then got all dressed up in their costumes and we went trick or treating... which was a GREAT time meet our new neighbors. Everyone seems sooooooooo nice here!! Most of them are the original owners and love it here... and are BEYOND happy to have "little ones" in this house again... it already felt like home...

Then on saturday (November 1st) AuntErin came over to help us move some more "stuff" around... and we were beyond happy to put BOTH of our cars in our garage... not too bad for being there only 48 hours at that time!!! The the girls enjoyed playing in ALL of the leaves we cleaned up from the front yard... now if they could just learn to rake them up themselves...

So, it's been an exciting and EXHAUSTING last week... and we are BEYOND happy to be back on-line and in touch with the rest of the world!!!! So, hope you all had a GREAT week... and see you all soon!!!

We'll be MIA for a few days....

So, we settle on both houses on thursday... so our computer will be all packed up either monday or tuesday... and will be unpacked at some point after we get "all settled". I will do my best to keep everyone updated on how things are going and how the girls are getting "acclimated"... so keep checking in on the blog... and we'll have some pics of the new house with our "stuff" in it soon....

BOOOO at the Philadelphia Zoo!!!

It's hard to believe we've been members of the philadelphia zoo for a few years, and this was our first trip to "boo at the zoo"... and now we know we should have gone WAAAAAYYYYY before this.

The weather was BEAUTIFUL here in PA... around 65 degrees and nice and sunny... so couldn't have been ANY better. And we were lucky enough to meet up with a few friends from college and their kiddos. Angela and Elyse had several friends their ages... and had a BLAST. Angela and Kate became "instant friends" and walked hand in hand all around the zoo. Elyse enjoyed sharing her snacks with her new friends Anna and Ryan too... and even shared her stroller with Anna at the end. All the kiddos donned their halloween best and trick or treated till their little bodies were all full of candy!!!

Also, a BRAND new attraction at the zoo is the endangered species carousel. It was handcarved in europe and sent here to raise awareness for the "endangered species". It may be the MOST beautiful carousel I have ever seen. Everyone was all smiles on their spin on the new ride. We also got to ride on the zoo train, and the horses. Even Elyse LOVED the horse ride...

And of course we couldn't make a trip to the zoo without the petting and kids zoo. Elyse LOVED petting the goats... and even enjoyed feeding one. We were surprised she didn't want to leave after one "very excited goat" actually put his hoof on her face to get her attention, since he saw the food in her hand... those are some smart goats we tell ya!!!

And the last two pics are on the ride home... they were asleep before we were more than 5 mintues out of the zoo....